Editing Anatolian Languages (section)

== Palaic (North Anatolia; ~1600-1200 BCE) ==
Palaic was spoken in '''Palā''', a land located to the northwest of <u>Hittite</u> territory and across the <u>Halys River</u>; this region became known as <u>Blaëne</u> by the <u>Greeks</u> and <u>Paphlagonia</u> by the <u>Romans</u>, both likely representing linguistic continuity from its indigenous root name. There is scant evidence for Palaic - about a dozen ritual fragments were preserved in <u>Hittite cuneiform</u> in archives at Hattusa; the <u>Hittite</u> word ''palaumnili'' seems to mean 'in Palaic' or 'of the people of <u>Palā</u>'.

While evidence is sparse, it is clear that the language was contemporary with <u>Hittite</u>, and it was <u>Indo-European</u> in origin. The presence of the '''/f/''' sound in <u>Palaic</u> (through <u>Hattian</u> loanwords) indicates direct linguistic interaction between the two linguistic communities; perhaps surpassing the <u>Hittites</u>, who did not adopt the '''/f/''' phoneme (instead replacing it with '''/p/''' and '''/h/''' sounds when it appeared).

The language appears to have slipped out of daily use ~1400s BCE, when the '''Kaška''' (<u>Kaskians</u>) entered the region and possibly displaced the 'people of <u>Palā</u>.'